Drawbar attachment



T (No Model.) l

W. J. W'LKER 8v A. L. BEDPGRD.

DRAW BAR ATTACHMENT.

No. 500,728. Patented July 4, 1893.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM J. IVALKER AND ALEXANDER L. BEDFORD, OF ST. LOUIS, i

MISSOURI.

DRAWBAR ATTACH M ENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 500,728, dated July 4, 1893.

Application filed March ZO, 1893. Serial No. 466,828. (No model.) i

To all whom, t 1mi/,y concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM J. WALKER and ALEXANDER L. BEDFORD, of the city of St. Louis, State of Missouri, have jointly invented certain new and useful Improvements in Drawbar Attachments, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

Our invention has relation to improvements in drawbars for car couplers and consists in the novel arrangement` and combination of parts more fully set forth in the specification and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section of one end of a car and of our invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the invention; and Fig. 3 is a detail of the side beams which transmit the pressure to the end cross beam of the car.

The present invention is designed to provide an attachment for drawbars which will prevent the drawbar with its attached coupler from being pulled out of placein cases where too great a strain is brought to bear upon the coupler by reason of steep grades, heavy loads, and sudden jerks t0 which freight and other cars are often subjected; and the invention accordingly consists in providing a compound attachment which will take up the strain and distribute the same among its several parts according to the amount of` strain to be overcome.

It also consists in means whereby the strain is brought against and is communicated to the rear face of the end cross beam of the car, and then transmitted through the beam to the tie rods running lengthwise with the car which tie rods connect said beam with acorresponding beam at the other end of the car.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the drawbar of an ordinary coupler inserted under the end cross beam 2 and held up in any suitable mechanical manner, the said beam being connected by suitable tie rods 3, 3, with a corresponding cross beam at the other end of the car.

The several parts of our invention are confined within a suitable frame work consisting substantially of the brace beams 4, 4, the tie beam 5, and the supplemental brace blocks 6,

the said beams and blocks being united by suitable bolts and nuts 7, 7, as best shown in Eig. 2.

The cross end nbeam 2 is shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3 and it will be seen from said figure, the cross beam 2 rests upon the decreased projecting ends of the brace blocks 6, the said ends terminating in a shoulder 8 which abuts against the rear face of the cross beam 2; the end of the brace beam 4 also partially abuts against the rear face of the cross beam 2. Any strain` therefore that passes through the brace blocks 6 will be taken up by the rear face of the beam 2, and likewise any strain that will be communicated through the brace beams 4 will be transmitted to the rear face of the beam 2 and thence communicated to the tie rods 3, 3.

To the inner adjacent faces of the brace blocks 6 are secured four wedge shaped blocks 9, 9, the wide ends of the said blocks being opposite to one another as best shown in Fig. 2. Between these blocks the bars 10, 10, of a length corresponding practically to the width between the brace blocks 6, are inserted, and are free to move to and from each other. They are prevented from dropping from between the brace blocks by suitable plates or supports 11, 1l, secured to the bottom of the brace blocks. The bolt 12 projecting from the interior of the drawbar passes through two opposite openings in the bars 10, and projects a short distance beyond the inner bar, a pin 13 at the end of the bolt 12 preventing said boltfrom being withdrawn from the opening in the bar 10. Coniinedbetween the bars l0, and encircling the bolt 12 is a coiled spring 14:.

Secured to the inner adjacent faces of the brace beams et, and to the rear of the blocks 6, are two Wedge shaped blocks l5, 15, between the wide ends of which and therear tie beam 5, is free to move a cross Abar 16 (supported by plates 17, 17,) through which is passed a bolt 18, having an eye at one end and a nut and washer 19 at the rear end, and a coiled spring 20 encircling the bolt between the uut and washer land the bar 16. To the eye of said bolt 18 and to the draw bar respectively is attached a chain 2l.

Secured to the upper surface of the draw- IOO bar near the middle portion thereof, is a block or casting 22 having an abutting surface 23 as best shown in Fig. 1.

From the foregoing description the opera-- tion of the device Will be obvious: If the load carried by the drawbar is not too heavy, the strain will be taken upby the bolt 12 projecting from the drawbar, then through the mep dium of the pin 13 will be communicated to the bars IO through the encircling spring let, thence to the forward pair of blocks 9, 9, thence through the brace blocks 6 to the rear face of the cross beam 2 to the tie rods 3, 3. Should the Weight orload carried by the drawbar increase, then additional strain will be taken up by the chain 2l, thence be communicated thereby through the medium of the bolt 18, spring 20, bar 16, Wedges 15, and brace beams 4 to the rear face of the end cross beam 2 to the tie rods 3. Should the load still increase and the parts heretofore described be torn apart on account of excessive strain, and the draw bar should give way, the same will be prevented from falling from the end of the car, by the surface 23 of the block 22 abutting against the rear face of the end beam 2.

It Will be seen that from our present construction, the strain taken up by the rear end beam 2 is always taken up by the rear face thereof, the several parts which communicate the strain abutting against this surface, and as long as the beam 2 does not yield or break, there is never any danger of the loss or falling out of the drawhead, and cars once coupled together Wll remain coupled under a strain that may even be excessive on account of the presence of the block 22. The strain moreover vcommunicated to the rear face of the end beam 2 is variable, depending upon the load which the car carries.

Having described our invention, What we claim is- 1. In a drawbar attachment, a cross beam forming a part of the car, a drawbar located under the said beam and havingalng secured to the upper surface thereof` adapted to come in contact only with the beam when the drawbar is released from its connections, substantially as set forth.

2. In a draw bar attachment, a cross beam forming a part of the car, a suitable frame work abutting against said beam, a drawbar confined Within said frame work and attached to the same, a spring-actuated bolt attached to the frame Work,and a flexible connection between said bolt and drawbar, substantially as set forth.

3. A drawbar attachment consisting of a cross beam 2, a suitable drawbar passed under the same, brace blocks 6, and brace beams 4 suitably united and braced, abutting against the rear face of the cross beam 2, wedges 9 located on the inner adjacent faces of the brace blocks, bars l0 movably secured between said wedges, suitable bottom supports for said bars, a bolt 12 from the drawbar passy ing through openings in the bars, and having a pin 13 at the rear end for securing the rear bar, a spring encircling the bolt between the bars 10, wedges 15 secured to the inner adjacent faces of the brace beams to the rear of the brace blocks, a bar 16 movable between the brace beams, a bolt passing through the bar terminating at one end in an eye and at the other in a suitable nut and Washer, a coiled spring encircling said bolt between the nut and washer and the bar 16, and a chain secured to the eye and connecting the same With the drawbar, substantially as set forth.

In testimonywhereof We affix our signatures in the presence of two Witnesses.

WILLIAM J. WALKER. ALEXANDER L. BEDFORD. Witnesses:

JAMES J. ODoNoHoE, EMIL STAREK. 

